It's You
by cmsully
Summary: Before she had ever met Naruto, young Hinata once befriended a silver-haired boy she had found in her family's gardens. However, one day he simply vanished, never to be seen again. Years later, the false Madara, in an effort to hurt Naruto deeply, sends her to another dimension... where she meets up with the man who had once been her childhood friend- General Sephiroth.
1. Where the two reflect on how they met

*I don't own Naruto, Final Fantasy VII, or any of their characters.

* * *

_The little four-year old ran through her family's garden excitedly._

_Her mama, pregnant with her future baby brother or sister, had given her the okay to play in the gardens, while her papa had no arguments against it. Considering how her father preferred her to stay indoors where she could be watched and protected ever since that scary man had tried to take her away, this had been a pleasant surprise. While it would've been better if she had some kids her own age to play with her, like her cousin Neji… the gardens were still fun for the little heiress._

_She couldn't wait to explore the gardens some more- last time, she had managed to find a crane in one of the ponds! Her mama had been happy to hear that, for she considered cranes to be good luck. Sure enough, not long after that her future sibling started to grow in her mama's belly._

Maybe_, the heiress thought to herself, _I can find something that Papa considers good luck, and then something good could happen to him, too!

_Suddenly, she could hear something ahead of her. Freezing, the girl's eyes widened with a slight amount of fear. Did someone sneak into the gardens?_

_Her ears straining, she figured out that the noises (which sounded like someone breathing harshly) were coming from beyond a bush that was ahead and to her left- a place she had not yet been._

_While the part of her that remembered the scary man simply wanted to run and hide, the part that wanted to become strong like her papa wanted to conquer her fear and investigate. Deciding on the latter, she slowly but surely inched towards the strange bush._

_As she peered through the branches, her eyes widened with shock- there was a boy sitting there!_

_Her eyes widened as she took in his shoulder-length silver hair, the brief glimpses of oddly-shaded green eyes, and the features that were unlike any she had seen before. He looked no older than some of the newly-made Genin she had seen, yet at the same time he seemed to be far more skilled… and it was obvious from the way he was searching his surroundings frantically that he had no idea where he was._

_Taking a step forward to investigate more, her foot landed on a twig. As it snapped under her weight, the boy immediately spun towards her._

* * *

_The eleven-year old boy stared at the little girl that he could see peering through the shrubbery ahead of him, her strange white eyes wide with fear._

_Last he recalled, he had been facing one of Hojo's latest experiments- yet another creature for him to test his abilities on. The only upside he could see to the whole situation was that soon he would officially be transferred to the Shinra military and these pointless battles would finally end._

_The creature had been enormous, too- almost the size of a Behemoth- and had unknown capabilities, having been a bastard cross between many different monsters. However, it seemed to not be difficult to defeat… at least, until it had, in a last-ditch move, created some sort of dense sphere and hurled it at him. As soon as the strange sphere struck him, his body had stiffened with pain… and then, darkness consumed his vision._

_When he came to, he had found himself in this strange place._

_It had been with a rare trickle of fear that he sat up started to glance around, trying to catalogue various dangers. However, the more he looked the more he didn't recognize any of the flora surrounding him… which only increased his fear, for Hojo had made sure to include the plant-life of Gaia (which even included rare plants from Wutai and the Nibel Mountains) in his many studies._

_Dimly, he had noticed that his breathing had turned harsh in his fear, and was grateful that Hojo was obviously not here to observe this moment of weakness._

_Suddenly hearing a branch snapping, he had turned towards the source- leading him to his current situation._

_He couldn't help but continue to stare at the little girl- she was the first person he had ever seen that was younger than him. Indeed, she was actually the first child he had ever laid eyes on, for there were no other children in the labs and he had never been allowed to leave the labs before._

_A strange urge struck him then- maybe she could become his first ever friend?_

_Slowly, so as not to scare the girl, he maneuvered himself into a kneeling position similar to what he had recalled the nicer lab techs doing to him when he had been about her age._

"_Why are you hiding behind the bush?" he asked, curious about this fact. After all, in many of the stories he had read children her age were generally very curious and thanks to their innocence were often unaware of the danger they foolishly approached._

_After a few moments, where he figured that the girl would run away to wherever she had come from, she finally answered, "Because you don't look like anyone I know, and I dunno if you want to hurt me."_

"_Hurt you? Why would I want to do that?"_

_At this declaration, the little girl seemed to gain enough courage to fully come out of the bush as she replied, "I dunno… for the same reason that the other scary man tried to take me away?"_

_His eyebrows furrowed at this. Someone had attempted to kidnap his potential new friend? Looking closer, he noticed that her clothes- an odd style that looked similar to what he had seen in his books about Wutai royalty- were made of silk that was an obvious high quality. It was more than likely that her attempted kidnapping had been for political reasons, he mused._

* * *

_She watched as the strange boy fell silent. Her papa had done the same thing many times before, so she knew that he must be thinking hard about something._

_After several moments of this, (like most children her age) she fidgeted at the silence, and decided to break it._

"_So, are you going to try and take me away?" she asked boldly, then blushed as he started slightly and focused once more on her._

_Shaking his head, he replied, "I don't even know where I am, let alone how to get back to… to where I normally live. So, how can I take you away?"_

"_Well, I can tell you where you are! You're in the Hyuuga Clan gardens in the Hidden Leaf Village!" she said cheerfully, so happy by his answer that she took it upon herself to tell him where he was._

_She was surprised when a confused look settled on his face._

* * *

_Hidden Leaf Village? Where was _that_? He had never come across such a place in his studies._

"_What do you mean, the Hidden Leaf Village?" he asked._

_The girl, obviously confused by his lack of knowledge, drew her eyebrows together as she said slowly, "You've never heard of it?" As he shook his head negatively, she continued, "Have you heard of the Land of Fire, then? My Papa once said that our Village is responsible for its protection."_

_Land of Fire? What kind of place _was_ this?_

"_No," he said slowly, "I can honestly say I've never heard of the Land of Fire. I've memorized all the names of the various towns and villages across the planet, and-" he stopped suddenly. It couldn't be… "Have you ever heard of Shinra Electric Company? Or Midgar?"_

_Cocking her head to the side, the little girl asked, "What are those?"_

_Shock coursed through him at that statement. It was obvious that she was telling the truth, for the confusion and curiosity in her eyes was apparent. To never have heard of the company that ruled the planet or the city that was its home could only mean one thing- the monster's attack had sent him to either another world… or even another _dimension_. After all, didn't summons come from another dimension? His mind whirled as he realized the sheer implications of this._

"_Are you okay?" came her voice, breaking through his stunned thoughts._

_Focusing once more on the little girl, his voice trembled for the first time since he was her age as he answered, "I don't think I am… for I'm so far away from where I belong that I don't know if I ever can get back."_

* * *

Hinata Hyuuga awoke slowly, not wanting to leave the dream of a happier time. Eyes staring at the ceiling above her bed, she laid there as she reminisced on her memories of the boy that had appeared in the gardens.

After he had said that curious statement (which to this day still makes her wonder what he had meant), the boy had introduced himself as Sephiroth. She had introduced herself as well, then (like most children) asked if he had wanted to play.

He accepted, and together the two of them had spent a happy afternoon playing tag (which he had never played before- she had been delighted to take on the role of teacher, thanks to the fact that a child her age rarely got to be so) in that tiny corner of the gardens.

All too soon, though, she could hear her father's voice, calling out for her to come back inside. The two new friends had pouted (she more than he) as they realized that their fun was at an end for the day. She had promised him that she would return to their newly dubbed 'secret place', though, with maybe some snacks. He promised that he'd wait, and then they parted ways.

For the next three days, she had managed to convince her parents to let her play in the gardens, and each day Sephiroth had been in their secret place, waiting for her. They would eat whatever she could manage to charm from the cooks, and then they would play everything from hide and seek to cloud watching.

The fourth day, however, when she had arrived at the secret place he hadn't been there.

She had panicked, thinking that the scary man that had tried to take her away had stolen her new friend. As searched and searched, she began to cry, deep sobs of despair. A guard had heard her, and thinking she was about to be kidnapped again had rushed into the secret place thinking only to see her searching for her lost friend with a newly-activated Byakugan.

He had taken her to her father, where once she had calmed down she explained who she had been searching for. At first, he seemed angry that she had been playing with a complete stranger that could've had ill intent towards her. However, once she described Sephiroth's odd eyes, including that strange pupil that she had only seen before in cats, he then assumed that Sephiroth had merely been an imaginary friend that she had conjured up, and calmed down. The fact that the Hyuuga guards hadn't seen such a boy on the property only supported this fact.

However, she knew to this day that those four days with Sephiroth were real. After all, there had been moments when his eyes had filled with a sadness that she knew she couldn't have dreamt up with at that age, and his apparent loneliness that she had glimpsed in his body language long before he saw her. He had been so happy to see her each time, as if he feared that she would abandon him one day. How could a four-year old dream up something like that, especially a sheltered heiress like her?

Shortly after this event, her father had allowed some of the guards to finally escort her into the village proper… where she had seen a blonde-haired boy with eyes as sad as her lost friend's.

Yes, in fact, that was probably the reason she had become fascinated with Naruto long before he had protected her from those bullies- he had been eerily similar to Sephiroth, with the same sadness and loneliness resounding through his being.

When she was with him, at times she felt like she was with her lost friend once again. It was the closest she could get to the happiness she had felt during those four glorious days, even after she had fallen in love with Naruto.

However, she mused as she finally got up to face the day, it was no use thinking of days long past. After all, it was highly unlikely that she would ever see Sephiroth again.

* * *

Sephiroth's eyes opened as he recalled the dream he had, the one of the best four days of his life. He dreamed of those days often.

Little Hinata had indeed become his friend like he had hoped, and for four glorious days he had felt like a normal boy, albeit one who could outwit the guards that he had discovered patrolling the first night he had stayed in the Hyuuga gardens. As he stayed one step ahead of them each night, for the first and only time in his life he had been grateful to Hojo for putting him through the hell that was his childhood- it allowed him to continue to see his friend without anyone interfering.

However, on the fifth morning he had awoken to the same pain that he had felt when the monster had hit him with the sphere that had sent him here. As he writhed on the ground, he had become so scared that he would never see Hinata again. He could still remember thinking as darkness once more claimed his vision how he didn't want to lose the only friend he had.

After the darkness cleared, he had found himself once more in front of the monster. From the looks that he gained from glancing around at the scientists, it seemed like only five minutes had passed. He could vaguely hear Hojo ordering the others to catalogue what that last attack had been, and why Specimen S had seemed disappear for those five minutes.

Sephiroth didn't give them a chance to gain more data from the monster, for in a rage matched by none he had ever felt before (or, indeed, felt since) he had utterly _demolished_ the creature. Nothing, not even a speck of blood, had remained once he had finally calmed down.

After all, it had sent him to the Promised Land, where a little girl had been his friend… and then stole him away once more, leaving him back in a friendless Hell where Hojo tortured him in order to learn what had happened to his _prized_ specimen during those five minutes.

Indeed, Hojo was still in the dark about what had happened, for Sephiroth had felt the need to protect his now long-lost friend. He still guarded her memory jealously, for he knew that if he told anyone about what he had experienced they would assume that he would be making it all up, maybe as a fantasy to tide him through his darkest days about a time where he had simply been a boy and not someone bred for war.

He knew, however, that what he experienced in the Hyuuga Clan gardens were real. After all, how else would he have known how to play tag, hide and seek, and the many other games Hinata had taught him? Certainly, no one would've even thought to have taught him in the labs. How else would he have recognized the feelings of friendship when he had started to hang out with Genesis and Angeal, if it hadn't been for a little four-year old girl with strange white eyes that to this day he had not found on anyone else?

Sephiroth figured that the creature's attack had been meant as a tool specifically to confuse its foe, and would use the chance to either flee, or (as in the case of this one) if it couldn't flee then deal a critical blow to the confused enemy once it had returned.

It was a double-edged sword for Sephiroth, though, when Hojo couldn't figure out how to replicate that creature. For, if Hojo _had_ managed to replicate the creature, then Sephiroth (and maybe others) could fight it in hopes that it would use that attack once more and send him back to the place where he had first experienced true happiness, and to the one who had given him that happiness.

As the years passed, and he eventually grew to become the General, he never stopped wishing that he would be able to see Hinata at least once more. Too bad that wishes rarely came true, though.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know, I SHOULDN'T be starting another multi-chapter story when I've got so many others not finished! However, this idea just HAD to be written. Updates will be sporadic, though, and to those of you who also follow me on dA this WILL be exclusive to here.


	2. Where the two are reunited once more

*I don't own Naruto, Final Fantasy VII, or any of their characters.

* * *

The sounds of explosions could be heard in front of them.

Hinata's heart clenched upon hearing them, for it brought back the memories of when Pein had attacked the Village… and of the moment when he had brutally stabbed her right in front of Naruto. To this day, her chest still suffered from phantom pains, especially when the sounds of explosions could be heard.

She and the rest of the two squadrons picked up the already fast pace. The false Madara, from all reports, was _extremely_ powerful, and if he had the Gedo Mazou there with him… Naruto and Killer Bee, not to mention Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei, would more than likely be in serious danger!

Her eyes narrowed. She would _not_ lose another one of her friends, especially to that masked freak! Losing Sephiroth was bad enough… if she was forced to lose the boy who was dear to her heart thanks to his similarity to the eleven-year old boy that befriended her all those years ago, Hinata knew that she would be unable to bear it.

Soon enough, they arrived onto the battlefield. Never, not even when the Village was destroyed, had Hinata seen such devastation. All around, chunks of rock were flying in the air. On one side stood a monstrous ox, whom she guessed was Killer Bee thanks to the eight tails she could see behind it. To the other was the Gedo Mazou statue itself. As poetic as it was, when Hinata saw its eyes crying blood and heard the scream that came out of its mouth she could almost _feel_ the pain of the ones whom she knew where trapped in there.

However, it was the golden blur of light that dashed through the battlefield that caught her attention the most. Even though she had never seen him in this particular form, she knew who it was beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"Naruto…" she breathed.

Activating her Byakugan, she could see through his chakra patterns that Kakashi-sensei had activated his Mangenkyo Sharingan and that Gai-sensei was using his strange nunchaku in ways that she didn't even realize was possible.

Finally, she saw the man who started this entire war. Once again, her attempts at ascertaining his identity via the Byakugan failed thanks to the strange material that the accursed mask he wore was made of. All she could glean about him was that he was somewhat old. He kept vanishing and reappearing, obviously frustrating the four (five if you counted the Eight-Tails, maybe six if you counted the Nine-Tails as well) fighters whose attacks just kept phasing right through him. As the rest of her and Ino's squadron separated in order to fight off the Gedo Mazou statue, she focused her attention on the masked man.

Quickly pulling out a kunai, she dashed towards where her beloved friend was fighting. Maybe, if she timed it just right…

There!

As she saw the false Madara slowly phasing back, she filled the kunai with her chakra and launched it. With a speed even she was surprised by, it flew straight for the enemy of them all. It struck, hard enough that it did what a head-butt from Naruto could not- it cracked the mask he wore.

This one act finally brought Naruto's attention to her existence on the battlefield.

"Hinata!" he shouted. "Get out of here! It's too dangerous!"

As she opened her mouth to reply, suddenly she felt a kunai at her throat.

* * *

Sephiroth sighed as Angeal's Puppy once again failed to pick up the very thing that the General had for the past two hours tried to teach him. Although Zack DID manage to complete the kill within an impressive amount of time, that was _not_ their goal for the day.

"Fair, you were too slow," he commented as he suppressed the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "You must be faster if you wish to kill with one strike. We will find another monster, and you will attempt this again."

"Aw, but _General_…" the Puppy whined.

"That's an order, SOLDIER."

As the two of them walked further into the monster-infested forest, Sephiroth once again wondered why he had agreed to take on teaching Zackary Fair for the day.

Oh, wait, that's right- Angeal, in an unexpected circumstance, was sick today, and Genesis was still on his two-week mission.

Tuning out Zack's whining (he really _was_ just like a puppy at times- although it was only thanks to Angeal that Sephiroth even _knew_ how a puppy acted), the Silver General wondered what little Hinata would think of the Second-Class SOLDIER. He smirked as he imagined her tiny hand covering her mouth while giggling at the boy's antics.

Keeping all of his senses tuned to his surroundings like he had been taught all those years ago, he allowed his mind to wander back to his young friend. He knew that by now she was more than likely around Zack's age, and he wondered at what she would look like. Would she still have that innocent air surrounding her, or would life leave an indelible mark on her?

He hoped that she was still innocent. The very thought that life would scar the innocent girl who had not hesitated to befriend him (well, at least not after establishing that he wasn't going to kidnap her) made a deep part of him equally sad and angry.

Suddenly, his instincts started to stir with uneasiness. Although everything seemed normal, Sephiroth felt as if the forest was holding its breath. While most people would shrug it off, the Silver General trusted his instincts implicitly- they had never failed him before. Something was going to happen… and soon.

Eyes narrowing, he started to pay closer attention to his surroundings. Nothing would catch _him_ by surprise…

* * *

"So… you're the girl who fought for Naruto against Nagato's Deva Path," the masked man said, so softly that she was sure that no one else could hear him.

Hinata narrowed her eyes in anger and fear, but didn't dare move. She had to wait for the opportune moment…

"HINATA!" came several shouts, Naruto's and Kiba's being the loudest.

"Even while you were aware of the fact that he greatly outmatched you, you still stood up to him solely to protect the Uzumaki," the man who had first introduced himself as Tobi continued, ignoring everything else, "simply because you loved him. You know of Naruto's love for another, yet you still risked yourself for him. How… foolish of you."

Her heart pinged unhappily at the mention of Sakura as it always did. She had never told anyone, but she felt so jealous at times of her pink-haired friend… simply because it was Sakura Haruno, not Hinata Hyuuga, who was the one Naruto offered his heart to. Still, she would not let him see that he affected her even that much. She stood up to Pein… she would stand up to him!

"It may have been foolish," she replied softly, "however, to this day I would still repeat my actions. I would still fight, against immeasurable odds, to protect those I love, even if they don't love me in return. It is my nindo to never go back on my word, and I have vowed to protect Naruto with everything I have."

She could almost feel his eyes narrowing in thought at this.

"Let her go, you bastard!" roared Naruto. He moved to take a step towards her, however he was stopped by the massive hand of the Eight Tails, who no doubt was trying to tell him that one wrong move and she would be dead. Kiba, meanwhile, was being restrained by Shino and Neji.

"That may be," answered Tobi finally, "however _my_ desire is to succumb the world in Infinite Tsukiyomi. The only one who even seems to have a chance is your _beloved_ Uzumaki. And you, little Hyuuga, are just the tool I need to make him lose control and make a fatal mistake… just like he almost did when he thought you died at the hands of Nagato."

Her eyes widened as his implications hit home. In a panic, she tried to twist out of his hold and strike him. However, he brutally grabbed both of her arms and held them behind her back.

"You know, you really are a good match for the son of the Yondaime Hokage," mused the man who now had her fate in his hands. As Hinata suddenly felt a pulling sensation, he finished, "Too bad, though, that both you and he need to die."

The last things Hinata experienced before she was sucked into the masked man's jutsu was these: the sound of Tobi's laughter, the sight of Naruto's panicked face, and the pain of knowing that this time it was she who would disappear from her beloved friends.

Finally, this one single thought coursed through her head- was this heartbreak… what Sephiroth had gone through when he had vanished?

* * *

"General, do you feel that?" asked Zack as the two of them arrived in a clearing.

He could tell that Sephiroth knew what he meant- the air was very charged here. His green eyes narrowed as he summoned Masamune and started to search the clearing. "I do. Be prepared for _anything_," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," responded Zack as he unsheathed his Standard Issue sword.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the wind started to swell. It took the two of them several seconds to notice, but by the time they did the leaves on the trees were moving as if a storm was coming… and perhaps it was, Zack mused.

The wind picked up the pace then, as if noticing their attention, and soon it was howling through the trees. Even Sephiroth was having difficulties staying upright, and promptly ordered Zack to get down. Zack noticed, however, that the General remained upright, Masamune at the ready. If a creature was causing this, they obviously had a death wish when they decided to provoke the Silver General and his student of the day.

Zack's attention was seized when a black hole suddenly appeared in front of the two of them. Crying out in surprise despite himself, he watched as the winds suddenly _exploded _out of the hole. His eyes squinted in order to preserve their moisture, Zack forced himself to keep his attention on the hole. He would _not_ let Sephiroth battle whatever would come out of there alone… after all, how could he become a hero if he abandoned his superior?

Wait. What was that coming out of the hole? Was that… _hair_?

Looking closer, Zack verified that it was, indeed, hair. Dark violet hair, to be precise. It took a moment to realize that the hair was attached to a person that was flying out of the hole.

"HOLY SHIT!" Zack yelped as the person- a girl, he realized- landed harshly on the ground. As soon as she did, the hole disappeared, and the winds quickly died down back to the calm state they were before all of the weird stuff had happened.

Sephiroth, for the first time in Zack's presence, looked equally stunned as he stared at the girl. No, Zack realized suddenly as he studied Sephiroth closely, he wasn't just stunned. Was that… a glimmer of hope in his eyes?

"It can't be…" whispered the General. Suddenly, the girl groaned.

* * *

Hinata couldn't help the groan that came out as she opened her eyes. She felt like crap… and this wasn't the battlefield she had left.

Quickly, she tried to activate her Byakugan only to find that she didn't have enough chakra. Almost cursing, she moved to sit up when she heard it.

"Is it… is that you, Hinata?" came the soft, almost hopeful question.

Turning quickly towards the sound, Hinata gasped at who she saw. The silver hair, those green eyes… it couldn't be!

"Sephiroth?" she whispered, shock filling her voice.

"Wait, General, you_ know_ this girl?!" came a young man's incredulous voice, however the two ignored him.

Slowly standing up, Hinata continued to stare at the man that looked so much like her long-lost childhood friend while he did the same. Looking closer, she finally saw the proof- those unique pupils that she had only found on him.

Joy filling her heart, Hinata couldn't help herself. She ran to him and embraced him tightly.

"It's you," she cried happily into his chest, "It's really you!"

Feeling his arms embracing her back, she heard him reply in a soft, tight voice, "Yes, Hinata… it's really me."

Pulling back to glance at his face, Hinata almost started bawling at the sight of the unshed tears filling his eyes. "After all this time…"

"…We're together once more," he finished, a small genuine smile gracing his face.

Unnoticed by the two of them, the black-haired teenager that witnessed the whole thing fainted with shock.

* * *

A/N: Holy. Crap. The response to this story has, quite frankly, stunned the crap out of me! When I first started this on a whim, I never realized that it would become so popular! As I read review after review, I will admit I started blushing... and started to come up with even more ideas for this story, including a sequel!

This story will focus more on the events of Crisis Core up until Nibelheim, then I'm planning on having the sequel set a year after the events of Dirge of Cerebus. Hopefully you guys will stay interested by then!


	3. Where you play the Jurassic Park theme

*I don't own Naruto, Final Fantasy VII, or any of their characters.

* * *

A beeping pierced through the air, jolting the reunited friends to their current location.

Immediately, an awkwardness filled the air as the kunoichi and the General quickly separated. Hinata blushed fiercely as Sephiroth cleared his throat and walked towards the unconscious teenager that Hinata suddenly realized was there.

_How_ could she have acted so… so _bold_ towards Sephiroth?! That wasn't like her at all! Shoot, it had taken a life and death battle for her to finally confess to Naruto, and yet in less than a minute after arriving at wherever she was she's hugging Sephiroth! What was _wrong_ with her?

Suddenly, the beeping seemed to get slightly louder. Focusing once more, Hinata was surprised to see Sephiroth pulling some sort of black device out of the teenager's pocket. As he flipped it open, the beeping stopped and the kunoichi was further surprised when he held it up to his ear.

"Sephiroth," he stated simply. Waiting a beat, he added, "Because he's currently unconscious."

Hinata blinked in confusion as her childhood friend seemingly carried out a one-sided conversation. As she observed him, the kunoichi realized that the strange black device was similar in function to the communicators that were occasionally used on missions, especially during the infamous 'Catch Tora the Cat' mission all Genin were assigned to at least once. While the conversation continued, the Hyuuga decided to take advantage of it and glanced around at her surroundings.

Her initial observations were correct- instead of being in a battle-torn plain, she was now currently in a forest. Turning slowly, she was surprised to see very few signs of life. Not even birds could be heard or spotted. Looking closer, she realized that the surrounding trees, whose species she was unfamiliar with, showed signs of extreme wind damage.

_I wonder what could've caused such damage… _she thought to herself.

When she took a step towards one of them to investigate them closely, however, she heard a groan. Spinning, Hinata saw that the teenager was coming to.

"Uh… what a strange dream…" he mumbled, rubbing his hand over his face. Sitting up, he continued to mumble under his breath. Finally opening his eyes, which enabled Hinata to see that they were a rather gorgeous blue that glowed in a similar way to Sephiroth's, his jaw dropped slightly as he took in his surroundings. Soon, his eyes landed on her. What happened next helped diffuse the awkwardness that had previously taken over the clearing… somewhat.

"Wait, the girl from that freaky wind tunnel is REAL?!" he yelped as he literally jumped into a standing position and pointed at her. Hinata was hard pressed to suppress her giggling at this, for he reminded her of both Naruto and Kiba.

A click sounded, and Sephiroth's voice rang throughout the clearing, "I would assume she's real considering she's standing right there."

* * *

As he watched Fair spin and salute with rather impressive speed (making him wonder if Angeal's student had been slacking off during this entire lesson), Sephiroth thought about what to do about his long-lost friend. From the way she had come into his world, he suspected that she, like he had all those years ago, had not exactly planned on arriving here. She would more than likely need a place to stay until she could be returned back to her home (and that was assuming she _could_ go back- the possibility that she couldn't go back was rather high), and he _definitely_ owed her some explanations, both of his world and of what exactly had happened over a decade ago.

Luckily for him, he had a few extra rooms in his quarters that he rarely used… however, he remembered the fine clothes that Hinata had worn as a child- would her upbringing allow her to stay the night in a male's quarters? Only one way to find out.

"Hinata…" he began hesitantly. As Hinata looked at him with her eyebrows raised in question, out of the corner of his eye he could see Fair trying (and failing) to hold back his gawking. Ignoring him, Sephiroth continued, "I'm sure you have questions for me, and if you're willing I do have my own quarters. We can talk there with very few interruptions, and I do have several empty bedrooms that you can choose from… or if you would prefer your own place I can rent a hotel suite for you." As those left his mouth, he realized too late how someone (Fair) could interpret that statement.

Sure enough, as the General flicked his eyes towards him, the Puppy was giving the two old friends a look that was (for lack of a better word) suggestive. A slight narrowing of his eyes, though, had Fair instantly looking away in self-preservation.

Hinata's cheeks were slightly tinted pink, however when she answered her words were free of any particular feelings. "I'd be happy to stay with you, Sephiroth. There's no need to go through any extra trouble for me."

Giving her a soft smile, Sephiroth replied, "If there's one thing that Angeal and Genesis have taught me, it's that you can never go too far to help a friend."

As Hinata smiled back, Sephiroth was suddenly struck with the realization that although his long-lost friend was slightly younger than the other SOLDIER currently present, she was still no longer a child.

Shaking off the confusing feelings that accompanied this realization, Sephiroth tossed Fair's PHS back to him and opened his own. Just as he had seen Hinata's home… it was time for her to see his.

* * *

"Are you serious? You've never seen a helicopter before?" inquired Zack as he, the General, and the mysterious Hinata flew back towards Midgar.

The girl, who had gone into some strange fighting stance when their helicopter had come into view and only calmed down when Sephiroth climbed aboard, shook her head. "The closest thing I've seen to it has been the Land of Sky when it attacked the Hidden Leaf Village."

_Huh?_ What kind of names were _those_? "Just _where_ are you from, again?"

Before Hinata could answer, General Sephiroth interrupted, "That information will be confidential, Zackary Fair, until after I've had the chance to speak with Miss Hyuuga _privately_."

"Aw, man," Zack grumbled under his breath. He brightened, however, when he remembered that his buddy Kunsel could probably help him out with this mystery. His fellow SOLDIER was the _best_ when it came to information gathering, and Zack suspected the mystery surrounding Hinata Hyuuga would intrigue him like no other. Shoot, it might even be enough to get him to take off that helmet…

Suddenly, Zack's plotting to finally see what his buddy looked like was interrupted when a feminine gasp filled the air. "What is _that_?" Hinata asked in an awed voice as she leaned over to see out of the front window of the chopper.

"That is Midgar, home of the Shinra Electric Company and our eventual destination," answered the General.

* * *

Hinata stared at the odd double-layered city with awestruck eyes. It was HUGE. In fact, if she had to venture a guess it was at least twice the size of the Hidden Leaf Village!

Suddenly, she recognized the names that Sephiroth had mentioned. He had mentioned Midgar and this Shinra when they had first met. Did that mean that she was now visiting his home?

As if sensing her thoughts, Sephiroth leaned towards her. "I'll explain what I can when we get to my quarters," he murmured lowly (well, as lowly as he could while all three of them wore those strange ear-coverings and the little microphone attachment). Starting to feel too overwhelmed by what was happening to her, Hinata simply nodded.

With the chopper flying closer and closer to Midgar, Hinata contemplated on what had happened to her within the past several hours. From battling the White Zetsus and facing off the false Madara himself to being reunited with a friend who had been lost to her for over ten years and actually _flying_ in some sort of strange machine, she could honestly say that this has been one of the strangest days of her life.

Completely bypassing the lower part of the city, the helicopter immediately angled towards the tallest building Hinata had ever seen.

"Shinra Headquarters, here we come!" exclaimed Zack. At this revelation, the eldest daughter of Hiashi Hyuuga was hard-pressed to conceal her amazement. They were heading _there_?!

Soon enough, the helicopter landed on a strange pad towards the top of the building. As Zack bounded out (again, Hinata was reminded of her teammate Kiba), suddenly she noticed a middle-aged man wearing a suit waiting for them.

Cautiously getting out of the vehicle with Sephiroth's voice giving orders to Zack in the background, Hinata studied this man. She could instantly tell that this man was not what he initially appeared to be. With the scars on his face and the way he carried himself, Hinata was somehow reminded of Ibiki Morino. _This_ was a man she did not want to cross if she could help it.

While the man was walking almost leisurely towards them, the Hyuuga suddenly noticed something… off about one of his arms. Eyes narrowing slightly in concentration, she realized that despite the man's obvious efforts to hide it, one of his arms seemed to be slightly stiffer than the other. Ordinarily, that would be something in her favor… however, Hinata remembered vividly all of the various rumors that flew after Pein's attack, more specifically the aspect of Pein that seemed to be more machine than man- the Asura Path, if she recalled correctly.

With what she had seen so far of Sephiroth's home, she wouldn't be surprised if the odd arm on this man was machine as well.

"General Sephiroth," the man greeted.

As Hinata felt one of Sephiroth's hands on her shoulder, he replied, "Director Veld."

Quickly glancing towards her old friend, the Hyuuga was surprised to feel a certain amount of protectiveness radiating from him. Glancing back towards the newly identified Veld, the kunoichi wondered just how much of a danger Sephiroth perceived this man to be towards her.

Eyes briefly flicking towards her, Veld inquired, "Is she the unexpected guest you mentioned?"

"Yes," answered Sephiroth. His voice suddenly gaining an edge of steel, he added, "And as she is _my_ responsibility, I can assure you that she will be no threat to the President."

A slight smirk appearing on his face, the other man responded, "Then you wouldn't object to us keeping an eye out for her, will you? Just to make sure, of course, that what you say is true."

Hinata was hard-pressed to hide her surprise at the small growl Sephiroth released at that. She was even more surprised, however, to see Veld employ similar tactics to hide his own surprise. The kunoichi made a mental note to ask her friend if Veld was a shinobi later.

Suddenly, the kunoichi began to sway on her feet. Apparently, the excitement of the day was finally beginning to wear off and her body was still suffering from the false Madara's jutsu.

Hinata barely registered Sephiroth catching her before she passed out.

* * *

A/N: *is still amazed at how popular this story is despite the lack of updates* And now, for some sleep... oh, and if I got Veld's character wrong, I apologize. I have never played Before Crisis, so I have _no_ idea as to what the man is like besides the Final Fantasy Wiki entry on him. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated!


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